Table 1.
Characteristics of the wildland firefighter population at baseline: demographics and self-reported employment and exposure histories (n = 138a).
| Number of respondents | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographic Characteristics and BMI | ||
| Age (yr) | ||
| 18 to 24 | 28 | 20.3 |
| 25 to34 | 86 | 62.3 |
| 35+ | 24 | 17.4 |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 127 | 92.0 |
| Female | 11 | 8.0 |
| Race/ethnicity | ||
| White race, no Hispanic or Latino ethnicity | 118 | 86 |
| All other races and ethnicities | 20 | 14 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | ||
| Underweight, BMI < 18.5 | ND | ND |
| Healthy weight, BMI = 18.5 to 24.9 | 74 | 54 |
| Overweight, BMI = 25.0 to 29.9 | 52 | 38 |
| Obese, BMI ≥ 30.0 | 9 | 7 |
| Employment History at Baseline | ||
| Previous work experience as a firefighter | 18 | 13 |
| As a municipal or volunteer firefighter (structural) | ||
| As a wildland firefighter (n = 137) | 129 | 93 |
| Returning WFFs by prior employer(s) | ||
| US Forest Service | 121 | 88 |
| DOI National Parks Service | 24 | 17 |
| DOI Bureau of Land Management | 24 | 17 |
| Local agency (including volunteer) | 19 | 14 |
| State agency | 14 | 10 |
| Contract fire agency | 7 | 5 |
| DOI Fish and Wildlife Service | 5 | 4 |
| Other (all <5) | 11 | 8 |
| Most recent non-WFF occupationb | ||
| Construction and extraction occupations | 23 | 17 |
| Military job with rank and occupation not listed | 8 | 6 |
| Life, physical, and social science occupations | 7 | 5 |
| Education, training, and library occupations | 6 | 4 |
| Food preparation and serving-related occupations | 6 | 4 |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 6 | 4 |
| Other | 34 | 25 |
| Missing or insufficient information | 48 | 35 |
| Off-season employment | ||
| I was not employed or a student during the offseason | 43 | 31 |
| Employed part-time at another job | 42 | 30 |
| Student | 32 | 23 |
| Employed full-time at another job | 29 | 21 |
| Employed as a federal firefighter all year | 19 | 14 |
| Exposure History at Baseline | ||
| Exposure to loud noisec | ||
| Loud occupational noise in the past 12 mo | 128 | 93 |
| Loud nonoccupational noise for ≥10 h/wk, ever | 83 | 60 |
| Had a prior job or hobby resulting in contact with the following substances by breathing, touching, or swallowing | ||
| Diesel exhaust | 101 | 73 |
| Solvents/paints | 96 | 70 |
| Products of combustion | 80 | 58 |
| Metals | 79 | 57 |
| Rock dust | 70 | 51 |
| Welding fumes | 68 | 49 |
| Pesticides | 44 | 32 |
| Asbestos | 25 | 18 |
| Acids/alkali | 24 | 17 |
| Biological agents | 7 | 5 |
| Coal dust | 6 | 4 |
The number of respondents may not equal the total sample size (n = 138) for several reasons—missing data, respondents were instructed to select all responses that applied, or data were suppressed (n < 5). Unless otherwise specified, the total sample size was used to calculate percentages.
Free-text occupation data were coded with Standard Occupational Classification codes (major groups) using the NIOSH Industry and Occupation Computerized Coding System (NIOCCS).
Loud noise: Noise so loud that they had to raise their voice to be understood or heard from 3 ft away.
Abbreviations: DOI = United States Department of the Interior; n = sample size; WFF = wildland firefighter.